September 20, 18G4. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



235 



not to find Hm at home. He was gone -with the clergyman 

 on a tour of inspection to the cottagers' gardens, in order 

 to know to whom to award the prizes at the forthcoming 

 show, for those allotments, &c, best cultivated. I gave our 

 names to the damsel who came to the door, who, I suppose, 

 reading disappointment depicted on our countenances said, 

 " If we wanted to see the gardens the young men in the 

 'bothy' would show them to us, if we first went here, then, 

 there, &c. It would be rather difficult to find as then- rooms 

 in the garden were being rebuilt, and they had to make shift 

 for the present." We soon found " the bothy," explained the 

 wherefore of our appearance there, and became upon visiting 

 terms at once with one of the young men, who, if our con- 

 science would have allowed him, would have opened every 

 pit, and unlocked every vinery for our inspection. 



" The bothy " was on the verge of the frame-ground, 

 in which were seven or eight ranges of long pits containing 

 Melons, Pines, and ornamental stove and greenhouse plants. 

 A few glimpses sufficed to show that the occupants were 

 in perfect order and receiving first-rate cultivation ; but we 

 could not resist a more close scrutiny of the fine-foliaged 

 stove plants — a good collection and perfectly healthy, though 

 on the multum in parvo principle. The plant of the collection 

 was, we thought, a fine Allamanda Schotti trained around a 

 globe trellis of wirework. One of its fine yellow flowers 

 measured 5-J- inches across, and we were informed that some 

 previous blossoms had been of a still greater diameter. There 

 were, however, lots of fine noticeable plants, such as Dracama 

 terminalis, Coleus Verschaffelti, Draeama australis, Pandanus 

 javanicus variegatus, Maranta zebrina, Tydasas in varieties, 

 &o. Numbers of choice Mosses, Ferns, and Orchids were 

 there also, descriptively sufficient to fill pages of this Journal, 

 so giving a last fond look we passed out and by a Mush- 

 room-house, where one would not mind making a bet, from 

 the manner in which our guide pointed it out, that there were 

 good Mushrooms, and so through large doers into the kitchen 

 gardens, and there we read old style with improvements 

 creeping in, and from the hue of the vegetables it was easy to 

 pronounce the soil to be in good; condition. On we went, 

 past some of the finest Black Currants we ever saw, into the 

 second garden, glancing at the new rafters of a good-sized 

 house springing up for the young men against and above 

 the partition-wall, at the same time feeling not a little 

 amused by observing a very old friend of ours, I include you 

 Messrs. Editors ! fall on the path from between the shirt and 

 waistcoat of our guide, where he had hastily thrust it on 

 our first appearance, no other than that current week's 

 Journal op Hoktictjlttjke. 



In the second garden the vineries and Peach-house are 

 situated, four in all. The latter, about 100 feet long, has 

 lately been erected by Mr. Johnson, and it is a structure 

 after one's own heart. The newly-planted trees, some of 

 which, taken from the open walls, are of considerable size, 

 are looking healthy and promising well. Then comes an 

 old vinery partly occupied with very ancient Black Ham- 

 burghs, having just a soupqon of mildew about them. This 

 house is partitioned off, and the other compartment is filled 

 with flourishing young Vines in pots. Nest follows another 

 house of the olden times, occupied with Lady Downes', 

 Frontignan, and Black Hamburgh Grapes. The fourth 

 house had for its inhabitants the Tottenham Park (the late 

 name of tne place), and other Muscats, Black Prince, and 

 Black Hamburgh Vines. Taking the houses for all in all, 

 better crops of Grapes, both early and late, could not be 

 •desired, and the Vines were in good condition — in fact the 

 cropping was on the side of profuseness. Then, glancing 

 at a good bed of German Stocks and Asters, coming on with 

 unwilling steps, though quick, we trod the walk flanking the 

 wall border, observing as we passed the healthy, well-trained 

 Peach trees, which, after the manner of Peach trees on open 

 walls, "used to bear, but do not now;" and, prophesying 

 the removal of the huge old stumpy Apple trees and Fil- 

 berts in the vegetable quarters, a door admitted us to the 

 pleasure-grounds ; so, turning round an instant to take a 

 last survey of the whole, I reckoned the gardens, frame- 

 ground included, to be about five acres. 



Proceeding from the kitchen gardens towards the mansion, 

 we paused to admire a fine Larch tree, reported to us by 

 our conductor to be one of the original three first intro- 

 duced into England. Its bole I computed to be 4 feet in 



diameter, the spread of the branches being 31 yards across ; 

 proportionately for height, however, it was wanting in nice 

 adjustment for the eye. A fine Magnolia grandiflora in full 

 blossom grew hard by. The mansion now interposes — a 

 square substantial house, which, when the improvements 

 contemplated are all completed, wDl better suit the ideas 

 of what a structure should be on so fine a property. From 

 the portico a fine view is obtained, extending itself to 

 Silsbury Hill; a central avenue-like glade also strikes the 

 beholder as being in almost unbroken continuity to the 

 very verge of the distance. In the immediate vicinity of 

 the house Mr. Johnson's mind has been active, and must be 

 now by no means idle, as the amount of work lately done 

 and doing shows— fresh turf laid down in seeds, green, fine, 

 and level; a new raised terrace garden, with fountain for 

 centre, supported by two antique vases on pedestals. 



The flower-border devices have white stone moulded curbs, 

 lined just within with a broadish band of orange-coloured 

 sand, then lines of fine grass turf about the same width, 

 bordered all round with Golden Chain Geranium. Tom 

 Thumb is employed for scarlet in proportion to the quantity 

 of white stonework, and for other colours principally Chris- 

 tine Geranium and Lobelia speciosa. The effect was good, 

 though rather circumscribed; but then there was King 

 Croquet and a bowling green to interpose themselves be- 

 tween a farther contemplated flanking of colonnade, with 

 balustrade to match the end of the flower-garden terrace, 

 and to hug the magnificent line of Rhododendrons, of which 

 no consideration but their death ought to cause the removal ; 

 for we should conceive that bank of A merican plants to be 

 one of the finest, if not the finest, to be found in our land. 

 Deciduous trees, American plants, choice Conifers, &c, are 

 disposed about the lawn — not quite pleasing to the eye, 

 perhaps, after dwelling upon the " every alley has its 

 brother" plan of the new garden, and the uniform character 

 of the mansion; but who would willingly do away with old 

 friends ? Amongst them we observed a young Wellingtonia 

 gigantea, planted by His Royal Highness the Prince of 

 Wales, February 15th, 1863. A new end to the conservatory, 

 flanking one side of the terrace garden, has been added, 

 and it is entered from thence, as well as from the house, thus 

 forming, in conjunction with the old conservatory and 

 orangery, an admirable winter garden. A Musa takes its 

 place in the centre of the new end, but the late-flowering 

 occupants intended to fill it were being prepared for that 

 purpose in the pits in the frame-ground. 



We now visit the conservatory, in which new borders have 

 also been formed and curbed with stone mouldings running 

 thefi whole lengths. The borders are filled with greenhouse 

 plants in pots, having fine pyramidal Fuchsias at intervals 

 in the centre. An Acacia affinis, 12 feet in clean stem of 

 6 inches diameter, takes a worthy central position. The 

 structure is glass domed. It is 70 feet long by 25, not in- 

 cluding the new end, which is 30 feet square, and the whole 

 is heated by two of Ormson's boilers. 



From the conservatory we enter the orangery, a Grecian 

 temple-like structure, the occupants of which were tempo- 

 rarily placed outside upon the terrace for the benefit of 

 their health, and necessarily so, as the roof is covered in, 

 though I believe the spirit of improvement contemplates a 

 roof of glass. Symptoms of its having not long since been 

 made subservient to the " light fantastic toe " were ap- 

 parent in gas-fittings, a temporary boarded floor, and other 

 marks. This structure measures 100 feet in length, includ- 

 ing the handsome columned portico with its eleven steps, 

 down which we go, and pass through large iron gates to 

 find ourselves in front of that side of the mansion loo kin g 

 towards the monument, and discover the reason why the 

 conservatory was built in the form of a quadrant, as the 

 back wall there forms a balustraded wing to the house, 

 having the orangery for a finial limb. 



Another new wing and limb to match on the other end is 

 now in course of erection, which will greatly add to the 

 appearance of Savernake House, though the clink of the 

 trowel was silent at our visit. Now taking leave of our civil 

 and intelligent guide we jump into our vehicle, and course 

 along through glade, avenue, and fine park scenery up to the 

 monument, the undulating play of the ground and its fea- 

 tures reminding one of the Long Walk in Windsor Park. 

 From the monument, through the forest, past the monarch 



